New legislation designed to discourage human smuggling would allow Canadian authorities to detain passengers and crew aboard migrant ships for up to one year, CTV News has learned.
The new measure would buy Canadian immigration officials time to confirm the identity of migrants and human smugglers.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and Public Safety Minister Vic Toews are set to unveil the new legislation on Thursday in Vancouver.
Under its terms, asylum seekers whose claims are deemed to be bogus would remain behind bars until they are deported from Canada. Captains and the crews of migrant ships would also face heavy fines and mandatory minimum jail sentences, CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife reported.
Officials say the proposed measures should deter human smuggling and encourage would-be immigrants and refugees to go through "proper channels" to enter Canada.
The new legislation is being unveiled days after reports surfaced that another migrant ship is readying to set sail to Canada from South Asia.
The ship is anchored in international waters off the coasts of Cambodia and Thailand, officials told CTV News. When large numbers of suspected migrants arrive to board the ship, they will be intercepted.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper warned that failing to take strong steps on the asylum issue "will inevitably lead to a massive collapse in public support for our immigration system."
In August, nearly 500 Tamil migrants arrived near Vancouver by ship. It was the second such migrant vessel to arrive on B.C.'s shores in less than a year.
Existing Canadian law includes strong penalties for human smuggling, with high fines and the possibility of life in prison. But immigration officials say they have been unable use the laws to effectively discourage such activity.
So far, the Tories have refused to give in to calls to empower Canadian authorities to turn migrant ships away before they reach Canadian shores.
But Sharryn Aiken, a law professor at Queen's University, said that toughening penalties for human smuggling won't deter the activity. Instead, she said Ottawa should work with countries from which migrants originate.
"If Canada doesn't want to see refugees showing up in boats, then Canada should get India and Thailand to sign up" for international treaties that guarantee refugees the right to due process, she said.
Research suggests that almost all the planet's refugees use human smugglers somewhere along their journey to safety. But legitimate refugees also frequently travel with those who have a weak refugee case, such as criminals or economic migrants.
With files from The Canadian Press
